It’s an opportunity that we should all be thankful for, as players, and for all those involved in the Australian game.

Bookending that opportunity are two huge World Cups.

The Socceroos will embark on their sixth campaign this month, and the Matildas continue to prepare for the biggest women’s tournament on the planet in just over eight months’ time, to be held in Australia and New Zealand.

Our A-Leagues are back up and not only running, but thriving, with the Men’s competition one of the most entertaining and high-scoring leagues globally, and with hundreds of thousands and fans returning through the turnstiles to bring the special colour and atmosphere to matches that we have so dearly missed in recent years.

A newly expanded A-League Women competition is on the way to full-time professionalism and finally has a vision for the future.

Our national teams continue to reflect the strength of Australian football, and our leagues the great opportunity for our growth.

Importantly, our football in the next few years can unite a nation and inspire a new generation.

To ensure the game fulfils that opportunity, it’s important we continue to reflect and celebrate on what the generations of players in the last 12 months have sacrificed to keep the game afloat.

It’s almost surreal to think that earlier this year, our qualifying campaign for the men’s World Cup was brutally disrupted by COVID-19, with the Socceroos forced to play away from home under immense pressure from other nations vying for qualification in Qatar.

For the Socceroos, qualification via the tiniest of margins against Peru in June was only possible through the many sacrifices of over 50 players involved in the most protracted qualifying campaign in the national team’s history.

Our Matildas had to endure the impact of an affected schedule, absence of key personnel, the complete shut-down of international football, and a decent sprinkle of scrutiny on performances.

And our A-Leagues seasons were almost complete write-offs due to the chaos of the pandemic.

Pleasingly, it was the perseverance, determination and positive attitude of many players, both for our national teams and in the domestic leagues, that helped keep Australian football’s hopes alive.

Despite the global disruption, players, through their union, have been able to not only preserve our sport, but breathe life back into it and give hope to many.

This week at the men’s World Cup, 26 Australian professional footballers will live out their dreams of representing their country on the biggest stage, including 17 players who are involved in their very first World Cup tournament, and hopefully inspire the next Garang Kuol, Cammy Devlin or Nathaniel Atkinson.

It will be a similar proposition in just over eight months’ time, when the Matildas welcome the world to our shores, giving boys and girls across the country the chance to one day emulate Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler or Kyra Cooney-Cross.

Often, our sport can focus on what it doesn’t possess, or too often on our weaknesses.

Instead, if we collectively harness the amazing opportunity of the next 12 months, our game will flourish.

But a critical part to ensuring success will be ensuring our impact as players - and as a sport - extends beyond the pitch.

Ensuring the voice of players on matters that impact their lives, careers and broader society are respected will be central to this.

With more and more players are realising their platform and opportunity not to just make Australian football great, but the country and the world a better place, the signs are positive.

We will continue to lift those players who turn to the union to help support their careers in challenging times, but equally to amplify the voices of players demanding change for the better, both within our sport and in society.

Thank you.